Gate.



PATENTED JUNE 4. 1907. J. M. HIGBE.

GATE.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 16, 1907.

Wn mw W/TNESSES way in an ordinary wire fence.

JAMES M. IIIGBE, OF MANSON, IOWA.

GATE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application filed February 18,1907. Serial No. 357,883.

To a/ZZ whom, t may concern' Be it known that I, JAMES M. HIGBE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Manson, in the county of Calhoun and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Gate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

T his invention relates to gates such as used .in the fencing of farms and gardens.

The object of the invention is to produce a gate which can be formed of wirel or similar light material, and to provide a construction which will prevent the gate from sagging, without necessitating a construction involving the use of a heavy frame for the gate.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more -fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth inthe claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part kof this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective showing a gateway provided with a gate constructed according to my invention, in the dotted lines the gate is represented in an open position; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section through an expansion joint which constitutes a feature of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 and 2 represent gate posts forming the gate- The gate comprises a main end bar 3 which is provided with eyes i hung upon pintles 5 which project from the gate post 2 as shown. At the opposite side of the gate-way an end bar 6 is provided, which is connected with the bar 3 by a pluralityT of tightly stretched wires 7. These wires are maintained in a tightly stretched condition, and the gate is held against sagging by means of a brace 8. This brace is disposed in a slightly inclined. position; the end of the brace adjacent to the post 1 being attached pivotally at 9 on the end bar 6, and -this enc of the brace is in an elevated position. The opposite end of the brace is attached pivotally at 10 to the end bar 3, and near this end bar 3 an expansion joint 11 is formed in the brace; this expansion joint is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

The brace 8 is formed in two sections 8 and 8b, which meet at the expansion joint 11.

' This expansion joint comprises a tubular j case 12 which is rigidly attached to the upper section 8a of the brace. The lower lsection 8b of the brace extends through the open end of the case 12 and-.is adapted to slide in and outtherein, as will be readily understood. This part is expanded within the case 12 so as to form a head. 13, and between this head 13 and the end of the'section Sa a helical spring 14 is placed within the case. This spring is under compression so that it tends to elongate the brace 8. The amount of elongation of the brace is, of course, limited by the length of the wires 7 which constitute the rails of the gate. y

At the foot of the gate post 1 a socket 15 is formed of a suitable strap, which is adapted to receive the lower end of the end bar 6, as indicated. The upper end of the end bar 6 is held in position by a shackle 16 formed of strap iron, so as to form a yoke as indicated, and pivotally attached to the post at17 as shown. lVhen it is desired to open the gate, the shackle 16 is swung upwardly so as to unhook the upper end of the end bar, and the foot of the end bar 6 may then be disengaged from the socket 15. This is readily accomplished, as it will be evident that the ,wires 7 will not prevent an upward movement of the end bar 6, and this follows from a consideration of the relation of the parts, for it will be seen -that as the end bar 6 of the gate moves upwardly, a rotation will take place on the pivot 10, as the end of the brace becomes more elevated. There will be a slight eX- tension of the brace 8 by the spring 14 which will constantly maintain the wires 7 taut as the upward movement takes place. In this way the gatemay be iinlatched and swung to an open position such as that shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines.

Special attention is called to the fact that the gate does not include any rigid brace members or a rigid frame. The gate is held in its horizontal position simply by the compressive force existing in the brace or diagonal 8 and the tension in the Wires 7. On this account, the wires 7 may be considered to perform the functions of tie rods, while the brace 8 performs the function of a strut.

It should be understood that the eXpansion joint 12 tends to raise the outer end of the gate. In orderV to prevent this rising of the free end of the gate, I provide a chain 18 which is attached to the top of the end bar 6,

the loWer end of the chain being detachably elevated With respect to the other end of said connected to a stud or pin 19 on the side of brace, and an expansion joint formed in said the strut, as shown. brace and maintaining said Wires taut.

Having thus described my invention, I l In testimony Whereof I have signed iny 5 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters name to this specification in the presence of vr 5 Patent: tWo subscribing Witnesses.

A gate consisting of a pair of vertical end JAMES M. HIGBE. bars connected by Wires and a brace pivotally Witnesses: attached to said end bars, the end of said M. C. ScHoENHUT,

1o brace attached to the free end bar being WM. ,RITcHIn 

